But at the Freihofer’s Run for Women, that box of baked goodies, which more than undoes any caloric benefit earned in the preceding five kilometers, is merely the icing on the cake, if I can be permitted to scramble culinary and athletic metaphors. Almost everything about this race leaves you with that same good feeling of satisfaction as a plateful of those cookies and a glass of milk.

For a quarter of a century some of the best female runners in America have been drawn to Albany, NY for this race, and while it’s exciting to stand on the starting line with such greats as Colleen De Reuck and Marla Runyan, who won her second consecutive Freihofer’s title (and with it the national 5K championship), it’s the thousands of other women, from young schoolgirls to spry septuagenarians, that give the race its real spirit and flavor. Even though it’s the capitol of the Empire State, Albany has a small-town feel, especially compared to that big city 150 miles down the Hudson. The residents view the race, rightly so, as a major event, and turn out to support it, either by participating or cheering, in numbers you wouldn’t expect. The race organizers have reciprocated, by adding a community health walk and kids races around the capitol plaza adjacent to the start/finish area, and by having the elite entrants visit and speak at local schools.

For the first decade of its history, Freihofer’s was a 10K, but halving the distance increased the number of runners without reducing the quality up front. Along with the New York Mini Marathon 10K and the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women in the fall, it serves as the opening leg of an unofficial triplecrown of women’s running.

With a field of several thousand (this year’s race drew a record 3,616) it’s big enough to make it feel like a major event and yet not so overwhelming in size that you feel crowded on the course. Still, the uphill first half mile frequently brings many who over estimated their fitness to a walk, requiring some weaving and dodging that is my only complaint about the race. I wish people who were there just for the cookies would start nearer to the back.

After that, though, everything is nearly perfect. After ascending the hill there’s a two mile loop through and around Washington Park, past crowds surprisingly large and vocal. And then, that opening half mile is covered in reverse, this time a screaming downhill which, if you’ve parceled your energy wisely, can produce satisfyingly quick times, as well as thrilling finishes up front. It’s basically a 2.5 mile race and a half mile finishing kick, a pretty good bargain, in my opinion. Each year I’ve run Friehofer’s I’ve defied the aging process by running faster every time, and as long as that trend continues I’ll keep joining the Hickmans and Kenahs on the line, if a few rows back.

It’s nice to run fast, and the organizers manage to attract a stellar field up front year after year, but it’s the effort they expend on the more mortal runners that makes Freihofer’s special, and why so many women return year after year. Race director George Regan seems just as concerned with the eight and nine minute milers’ experience as those running sub-fives —it shows, and the runners know it and appreciate it. It’s also an extremely easy race logistically—a huge underground parking garage for the capitol plaza sits between the end of an interstate off ramp and the start/finish line. You can get off the highway, park your car, and be at the staging area in less than 10 minutes, eliminating a pre-race hassle often typical for such large events. And somehow, the weather always seems to cooperate—a few years ago the rain and thunderstorms that inundated the area the night before stopped an hour before race time, leaving the roads wet and dotted with puddles, but the air refreshingly cool.

The Freihofer’s Run for Women may not be the biggest or longest women’s race in the world, but it’s among the oldest, and, for my money, the best. Freihofer’s, keep the miles and chocolate chips coming!